hi,
off to morroco in a couple of weeks and am finalising what i can cram in my throw overs, had just about sussed it when someone suggested i take a spare air filter, what would you guys do, the riding will be mainly the rocky pistes but were gunna try and get south enough to at least rig a few sand photos! By the way im on a 2002 xt600e and the filter in at the mo is paper, any thoughts?
andy

Go with a foam filter than can be cleaned and reused.
Or, just use what you have and have fun....

Only one company make foam for the XT and i've heard its not a great fit in the airbox.

The standard filter is a good filter and works very well.

A foam filter is hard to clean on the road as opposed to the original paper/cotton filter.

Take a spare original sealed in a plastic bag.

If your original gets clogged with sand, remove it and blow it out.. simple !

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I don't understand your response, Ted.
Foam filters are designed to be cleaned/washed and reused. What's required is, literally, soap and water. Sure you can use other things, but it's not necessary.
Sand doesn't clog a paper filter, dust does. While paper filters can be 'blown out', they really aren't designed for reuse.
Did I misunderstand?

I thought his problem was that he will be out in the desert.. !

You cant wash, dry and re-oil a filter on the road really without some bother. Foam filter MUST be dried and oiled to work correctly also.

The XT official manual states that the filters can be safely blown out using an airline etc. You can even knock and blow dust out to a certain extent which is impossible with foam.

You right, foam can be washed and reused many times and is probably best for day to day use but i think the original paper/cotton filter is a lot easier to clean and maintain on the road.

Just my opinion really.

P.S. Foam filters arnt available for the XT anyway apart from one Aussy company and I hear it aint that great wtih airbox mods required and poor sealing.

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thanks for the advice guys , we'll go with paper and just clean em out on an evening! cant see us doing a lotta sand as this is our first trip out of the "comfort zone" but we're gunna have some fun and do plenty of riding on the pistes!
cheers c u around
andy

I didn't need to replace mine in Morrocco. I pulled it out once to blow it clean but as it happened there wasn't much dust caked on it anyway. Don't think I'd bother taking a spare.

Matt

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*Disclaimer* - I am not saying my bike is better than your bike. I am not saying my way is better than your way. I am not mocking your religion/politics/other belief system. When reading my post imagine me sitting behind a frothing pint of ale, smiling and offering you a bag of peanuts. This is the sentiment in which my post is made. Please accept it as such!

Pipercross Filters in Northampton make a Foam filter for the Yamaha XT600e. The Pipercross Shop - Pipercross performance air filters for road and competition use

I use one in Honda Transalp

In my experience the fine dust will clog up the standard paper filter faster than a foam filter. The first you notice is the loss of power and lots of black smoke from the exhaust. It does make a difference were the air box intake is located and also if you are riding in front of your mate or behind. also lots of traffic kicking up the dust makes thing worse.
Cleaning the standard paper filter with compressed air can open it up and make it less effective so be careful. The Foam filter can be washed and re-oiled and reused.
K&N filters and cotton type filters are not so good with fine dust.

Steve

I use a Uni-filter (Unifilter Australia Foam Air Filters for Economy and Performance) in my XT and it is FANTASTIC!
You can also buy spare foam filters which you can fold up and store in a plastic bag.
When the first filter that is fitted to your bike blocks up, remove it and take the dirty filter off of the cage that is used to hold it in shape, then fit your second, clean filter foam to the cage. Bolt everything back together and you will be back on the road in no time!
Carrying a spare foam filter is a lot lighter and less bulky than the factory type paper unit (which i believe does a very poor job at filtering anyway...).
I highly reccomend uni filters.
Dan.

May i ask why it is so fantastic ??????????

I was thinking of this mod but i find the original to be a good filter and yamaha seem to agree over the last 20 years

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You sure can Ted!
With the original factory paper filter installed, i found that the inlet tracts to my carbs were getting very dusty. Obviously the paper filter was still letting through very fine dust.
I installed the unifilter (oiled foam) and ever since that day, with plenty of riding in disty conditions, my inlets have remained squeaky clean. The oil helps to trap every little piece of dust that enters your airbox.
The unifilter also is a lot less restrictive than the paper filter and my bike felt ever so slightly more responsive after installing it.
It's a little expensive the first time you buy the whole filter kit, but after you have serviced your bike a few times, you've pretty much re-couped the money that you would have been spending on genuine disposable paper filters.
I think it's a win win situation. I've found the filtration to be better, they breathe better and in the long run it will save you money.
Dan.

Ya know, i might give it a go then. Im not totally convinced but I always liked foam filters on my CRF.

I was told that the unifilter one was a bad fit and actually let more dust through than the original..

How much was it ?

ed

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No, it's a very tight fit, with foam sealing the filter all the way around. A much better fit than the original in my opinion. The advantage i guess is that the foam seal on the unifilter is oiled, which traps the dust. The foam seal on the standard filter isn't oiled, so i think that is where most of the dust gets past it.
I was told that some XT600's in Aus did come with an oiled foam filter from the dealer. Perhaps this was a 'dealer fit option' that was given to some buyers?
Anyway, the kit is $105 Australian dollars to buy through their site online. This gives you the filter, the cage to hold it in place and a precleaner which lips into the hole on top of your airbox (you unbolt and discard the backwards facing intake on top of the airbox). I think mine cost me about $90 a few years ago, so the price has gone up a little...
If you still haven't made up your mind by then, i will take photo's of mine next time i have my bike in pieces!
If you do end up buying one, i'm sure you won't be disappointed.
I use a Finer Filter (same design as the unifilter, different brand) in my car and very soon i will be buying a unifilter to fit to my wifes 4WD. Once again, the paper filter on the 4wd is still letting through dust....
Dan.

If you're staying with the paper filter, it wouldn't hurt to smear a coating of grease (grease, not oil) on the rubber lip which will help seal it.

Aye.. Iv done that already.

Where I live there is NO dust really. All cement


Ill have an uuum and ahh about the unifilter. Im not leaving for South America for a year + so in no rush.

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